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Updated: Aug 4, 2026

Whisker-signaled Eyeblink Classical Conditioning in Head-fixed Mice
Published on: March 30, 2016
Eyeblink classical conditioning: hippocampal formation is for neutral stimulus associations as cerebellum is for
1Department of Psychology, Temple University, USA. jtgreen@indiana.edu
Abstract:
Extensive evidence has been amassed that the cerebellum, hippocampus, and associated circuitry are activated during classical conditioning of the nictitating membrane/eyeblink response. In this article, the authors argue that the cerebellum is essential to all eyeblink classical conditioning paradigms. In addition, the septohippocampal system plays a critical role when the classical conditioning paradigm requires the formation of associations in addition to the simple association between the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli. When only a simple conditioned stimulus--unconditioned stimulus association is needed, the septohippocampal system has a more limited, modulatory role. The neutral stimulus association versus simple association-response distinction is one of the ways in which declarative or relational memory can be separated from nondeclarative or nonrelational memory in classical conditioning paradigms.
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